Dynamic Update in AIX Platform
Abstract
Dynamic update mechanism is available in IBM’s AIX operating system in a form of Set a Server Option for Dynamic Update (SETOPT) command. Object Oriented nature, Log Management, Service Update Management Assistant and Dynamic the Logical Partitioning features are also available to implement Dynamic update in with another approach likewise K42 factory mechanism.
I have implemented Dynamic update using Set a Server Option for Dynamic Update command.
Introduction to AIX
Advanced Interactive eXecutive (AIX) is the brand name of IBM's proprietary UNIX operating system. It initially stood for "Advanced IBM Unix" internally, but probably the name was not approved by the legal department and was subsequently changed to "Advanced Interactive eXecutive".
AIX's more unique features include Object Data Manager (ODM, a database of system information). AIX's integration of logical volume management into the kernel is gradually being added to the various free UNIX-like operating systems.
AIX major focus is to meet the high requirements for the enterprise employment. In addition handling particularly large applications (up to 8 x 256 MByte data size) and the scaling ability belong to this high requirements. AIX was designed for the employment for workstations (for instance the RS/6000 line) to supercomputers (RS/6000 FR) too. AIX is related to the Unix system V and BSD 4.3 operating system. It supported distinguished different platforms and possesses high binary compatibility to the most diverse program formats. AIX 5L is also for the employment on servers of the product series of IBM S80 intended and supported likewise Linux applications. IBM offers among other things support and enterprise solutions approximately around AIX.
AIX 5L version 5.2
Since the beginning of October 2002 the version 5.2 is available. Contained are now also functions, which admits so far only from Mainframes. The dynamic Partitionierung (LPAR) permits the enterprise of up to 16 virtual servers on a server. During operation resources can be assigned or taken off to each virtual server dynamically such as CCU, memory and I/O cards - without reboot or shutdown of the running server. This makes it possible to react individually to the requirements from customers and to adapt flexibly all resources. With the Keyed Capacity Upgrade on Demand (CUoD) for the p670 and p690 server it is possible to increase the number of CPUs for higher performance during operation. With the function of dynamic processor saving can be assigned reserved processors automatically as replacement for failed processors. Thus a sudden perfromance loss is prevented and the full availability for the enterprise employment is guaranteed.
Procedure for handling dynamic updates in AIX platform
Fundamental requirements for dynamic updates are Updatable unit, Safe point, State tracking, State transfer, Redirection of invocations, Version management described in the paper, can also be associate with AIX following are the available structure in AIX to handle dynamic updates.
Object Orientation
Hot-swapping is a better choice for dynamic update, AIX has Object Oriented structure, its abstract class and interfaces are available, therefore hot-swapping is available.
AIX 5L exploits the Symmetric Multiprocessing SMP architecture of the POWER microprocessor to deliver high levels of computing performance. The operating system provides both 32-bit and 64-bit fully pre-emptible kernel implementations that can be selected at boot time. Both kernel implementations can efficiently support from 2- to 32-way multiprocessor configurations. AIX 5L also supports fine grain kernel locking with a highly optimized multi-thread processing design that exploits the M:N multi-threading system architecture. AIX's more unique features include Object Data Manager (ODM, a database of system information) which can be use to detect quiescence.
The Service Update Management Assistant (SUMA)
SUMA makes the definition of guidelines possible, the assistant service provide the operating system with automatically updates and files from the IBM support for download. Programmers profit in this AIX version from the POSIX real-time application programming interface for simpler porting of software
The Dynamic the Logical Partitioning (LPAR)
LPAR available since version 5.2, makes flexible handling possible with virtual servers on a physical server. With the extended scaling system resources such as processors and RAM can be assigned and revoked to the virtual servers, without affecting or restart of the running server installation. Micro Partitioning extends this flexibility in POWER5-Systemen by dispatching of processor performance from a system partition in 1/10 steps to correspond the tweaking permitted even the increase or lowering in 1/100 steps for optimally the enterprise requirements. Several LPARs can divide a resource pool automatically depending to the requirement from the virtual servers by balancing the processor performance without interruptions for the LPARs.
Log Management
AIX 5L V5.3 makes it possible to measure and log the resource utilization in a divided server infrastructure during a certain period. A user can be assigned (virtual) to a server installation. This is important for the user to profit thereby from the business model on demand to book exactly the performance which is necessary and pays for it accordingly. This makes an accounting of achievements and the planning for the provided capacities possible. Noted are the system processes, transactions in the file system, processor utilization, RAM and network utilization. The dynamic reconfiguration permits the exchange of processors and RAM in POWER5 to servers without interruption of current applications in LPARs. This feature can be use for factory mechanism as if old instance can not be transform to new instance, a new instance will be created and old instance transaction will be reprocessed over new.
SETOPT (Set a Server Option for Dynamic Update)
IBM has reduces the effort of Dynamic update by providing a SETOPT command to update a server option dynamically without stopping and restarting the server. A SETOPT command contained in a macro or a script cannot be rolled back.
Implementation
SETOPT (Set a Server Option for Dynamic Update)
Privilege Class
To issue this command, you must have system privilege.
Syntax
SETOPT--option_name--option_value
Parameters
option_name (Required)
Specifies a text string of information identifying the server option to be updated. The maximum length of the text string is 255 characters. The following options are available:
BUFPOOLSIZE
COMMTIMEOUT
EXPINTERVAL
EXPQUIET
IDLETIMEOUT
LOGWARNFULLPERCENT
MAXSESSIONS
MOVEBATCHSIZE
MOVESIZETHRESH
RESTOREINTERVAL
THROUGHPUTDATATHRESHOLD
THROUGHPUTTIMETHRESHOLD
TXNGROUPMAX
option_value (Required)
Specifies the value for the server option.
Examples
Task
Update the server option for the maximum number of client sessions to a value of 40.
Command
setopt maxsessions 40
References
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIX_operating_system#column-one#column-one
The AIX 5L external on-line documentation Web site at:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ds_form
The AIX 5L Version 5.2 documentation index:
http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/en_US/infocenter/base/aix52.htm
Information on AIX 5L development environment on IBM alphaWorks® Web site:
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/